PMBC Named Bike Club of the Year

Phoenix Metro Bicycle Club has been selected by the League of American Bicyclists as Bike Club of the Year in Region 5, shared with the New Mexico Touring Society (a very well-respected club over the years).

Look for the next American Bicyclist magazine article announcing the winners.

LAB LCI Seminar: Late April

DATES SHIFTED

There is a train the trainer seminar to become a League Certified Instructor coming up April 23 (afternoon), 24th and 25th, 2010, at the Tempe Transportation Center, Tempe, AZ.
Please fill out the following form to gauge interest.

TS101 is pre-requisite; if you have not attended you have an opportunity to complete that on Feb 20 (or March 20 for Women only), see BikeEd for more info.

$13 Million Transportation Enhancement Funds Available for AZ Road Projects

The Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) has been notified by ADOT that $13 million of Transportation Enhancement funding will be made available for qualified programs statewide in 2010. Approximately $8 million could be made available for projects on local roads, and $5 million for enhancement projects on state roads.

Eligible projects include bike lane striping, wide paved shoulders, off-street trails or shared-use paths and bike parking, as just a few examples.

The bicycling community needs to act quickly to get any new proposed projects in front of bike/pedestrian planners and transportation department engineers. The application deadline to MAG for Maricopa County projects is Wednesday, April 21. The Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists can help put clubs, individual bicyclists and other interested parties in touch with the right person(s) to consider your ideas for potential projects.

Key dates related to this funding in Maricopa County (other counties, check with your local Association of Governments or City/County Transportation Dept.) include:

• Monday, March 22, 2010 – 9:00 a.m.: TE Funds Workshop at MAG offices, 302 N. First Ave., Phoenix (Saguaro Room, 2^nd Floor). This workshop will explain project eligibility and the funding process.
• Friday, March 26, 2010: Applications will be available on the ADOT web site.
• Wednesday, April 21, 2010: 8 copies of completed enhancement funds application due to MAG (no e-mail or fax submissions accepted).
• Tuesday, May 4, 2010: Applicant Presentations to MAG Enhancement Peer Review Group.
• Tuesday, June 8, 2010: MAG EPRG ranks applications.

Subsequent to the above, MAG staff will further review applications, make site visits, give feedback to applicants, etc., in preparation for final application submittal and reviews and approval by the State Transportation Board in November of 2010.

Feedback

The Coalition wants to hear from you!
Please fill out the feedback form and let us know what's on your mind.

City of Tucson found liable for $13M

The city of Tucson was found 1/3 responsible for a $40M judgement in the death of a teenaged cyclist. Jose Rincon was killed by DUI driver Genda Rumsey in 2008. "A lawyer for the family argued successfully that the city was partially at fault because of the poor design of the road. City Attorney Mike Rankin said the city will appeal"

Arizona Daily Star, Feb 13, 2010, 40 Million awarded in teen's death

In May, the $40M award was later reduced to $12M by Pima County Superior Court Judge Kenneth Lee. It was also revealed that the victim's family had offered to settle with the City for only $950,000 before the trial but the city rejected that offer and instead preferred to take their chances at trial. Their reduced portion would be $4M. [azdailystar]

TS101 Express: Feb 20, 2010

In addition to CAzbike's Education offerings, TBAG (Tempe Bicycle Action Group) is offering TS101 "Express" (shortened) class. More info.

CAzbike Looking for a Few Good Volunteers

Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists Seeks Volunteers at All Levels

The Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists is actively seeking potential volunteers from both our current membership and the bicycling community to contribute to achievement of our goals and objectives during 2010. A number of opportunities for key contributions exist, and may range from participation on individual projects to ongoing advisory roles to board and officer positions.

Interested parties are requested to e-mail with level and/or areas of interest to cazbike@cazbike.org. Please include a short description of bicycle-related background including advocacy or leadership experience, if applicable.

Getting Arizona's Fair Share - Federal Funds Available for Bicycle Advocacy Access

The League of American Bicyclists gave all of us in advocacy a "gift of knowledge", and a de facto challenge, by outlining major federal funding sources for bicycle-related programs and infrastructure improvement in the September/October 2009 issue of American Bicyclist. Now, it is up to those of us in Arizona advocacy to make sure we are getting our fair share.

As briefly and succinctly as I can, using the LAB-published article by Anna Kelso and Darren Flusche as my primary guide, here is an oversimplified summary description of federal programs from which we (Arizona) can get funds for various bicycle-related purposes:

CMAQ -- The Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Improvement Program funds transportation projects designed to improve air quality and reduce traffic congestion. This program is especially targeted to areas that don't meet national air quality standards, such as metro-Phoenix. CMAQ funds have been used for capital spending on such things as bicycle facilities, racks and lockers, and for marketing materials and operating costs for bicycle sharing projects. The Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists is encouraging the City of Phoenix to consider using CMAQ funds for facilities similar to Tempe's Bike Cellar (bike commuter station) or to partner with urban YMCAs and/or gyms to provide bike lockers/storage that would (in combination with shower/locker facilities) promote bicycle commuting.

HSIP -- The Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) is a SAFETEA-LU program that has as its purpose to reduce the number of traffic fatalities and serious injuries through infrastructure-related improvements. In Arizona, most (70%) of this program funding is controlled/allocated by ADOT, with the balance available to Associations of Governments (e.g. MAG, PAG) and local communities. According the LAB, Arizona was recently ranked 49^th of 50 states in utilizing available funds, which are provided in the form of a 90% federal match of 10% state/local funding for qualifying projects on virtually any state, county or municipal road/street. The "hurdle" for proposed projects has been fatality history, though some states are beginning to use more forward-looking projected fatality/serious injury criteria. The administration of HSIP funds in Arizona by ADOT is currently in a bit of flux, and should be a very visible "target" for advocacy inquiry and action. AGs should also be queried as to their knowledge of this funding opportunity and degree to which they have applied for funding. It is my understanding that these funds could be used to help pave roadway shoulders, construct traffic calming, provide signage at bicycle-pedestrian crossings and for other infrastructure projects that are already on the planning boards. Why ADOT/Arizona has not been more aggressive to fighting for "our fair share" remains a bit of a mystery.

Section 402 -- The State and Community Highway Safety Grant Program (aka Section 402) funds highway safety programs designed to reduce traffic crashes, deaths and property damage. Safety programs may include data analyses, education and community safety campaigns, as well as some limited engineering projects. State Highway Safety Offices are recipients of funds from the federal government, and then are responsible for managing and allocation the spending within the state.

For more information on these programs, we may consult the League of American Bicyclists in addition to the federal and state program administrators. It is incumbent on all of us in advocacy leadership positions to become more educated and aware of available funds, and to make sure our constituents get our fair share put to work in our state.

Bob Beane

Learn to Ride : Tips for Parents

The “Balancing First” method that will have your kids riding in no time!

[.pdf presentation] from BikeNewYork.org